Winter Escape...

Durke and I have been in desperate need of a vacation, so for Christmas we decided to book a cruise. We booked a Mexican Riviera Cruise with Princess and went February 12-19. It was the most amazing trip and one we will never forget! We are having such a hard time adjusting to life again. Here are a few pictures and some of the fun things we did.

Neither of us had ever been on a cruise, so just being on the ship was so great. We ate a lot, sat in the sun, ate a lot, danced, watched movies, ate way too much, and just enjoyed being together!

We saw so many ocean animals and it was amazing. The whales are migrating right now so we saw them almost everyday. When we were in Puerta Vallarta on a small boat we got really close to theh whales. We also saw seals, turtles, and tons of dolphins.





Here are a few pictures of some of the amazing sunsets and views we saw everyday on our ship.







(I have a thing for lighthouses!)

We also got to spend Valentine's on the ship. Our Valentines are usually spent with the kids, so it was quite nice! They made a big deal. We had dinner, went to a show, and dancing. It was great!





We had a lot of fun when we went into the ports. Our cruise stopped at Puerta Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. Those of you who know Durke, know he is quite adventurous so that means I am always doing things that I am not so sure about. We (he) thought it would be fun to do the Zip Line and Rappelling in Puerta Vallarta. It was a little crazy but really fun.

When we first got off the ship, they took us on a speedboat out into the ocean for about 20 minutes to this little village in the jungle, then they put us on these crazy trucks and hauled us into the mountain, THEN we got on mules and rode higher into the mountains, then they sent us on all of these ziplines and we rapelled waterfalls. I couldn't take my camera so these pictures are from the website. It was so fun!











After Puerta Vallarta, we stopped in Mazatlan. This wasn't my favorite port. It was a littler scary, but we still had fun. We had a VERY interesting cab ride and got to play on the beach and shop.




Our cab!




There were some crazy guys cliff diving of this rock for tips. It scared me just to watch! It was so shallow and rocky, I really thought they were going to get killed!

Our last stop was Cabo San Lucas. I immediately fell in love with this place. It was SOOOO beautiful and clean. I definitely would love to go back there soon! We (again, Durke) decided to do the Rhino ATV adventure. It turned out way fun, a little wild, but we had a blast, and the beach was amazing!






After the ride, we shopped in a way fun market and bought all of our souvenirs. They had beautiful clay pots that were handpainted. I bought me a bowl and me and the girls some fun sundresses and bracelets.







We had such an amazing time, and it was really hard for us to come home, but we missed our kiddos and family and it is good to be back. I think!

I suggest a cruise for everyone! It is the best way to travel!!!